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Local Music Reviews #4: Isaac Thawley/Yakobo/Jigsaw Man

In collaboration with Roots Acoustic Music I will be reviewing local artists albums and E.Ps from around the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire area. These reviews will soon be featured in the Roots magazine, which can be found in any of their venues.

Isaac Thawleys debut E.P strips away the idyllic perception of being a young lad and instead delves into the hilarious (and often embarrassing) truth. Lyrically and tonally this E.P shares strong comparisons with the early work of artists like Arctic Monkeys, The Streets and Jamie T, but with an acoustic folk vibe to it. What I particularly liked about ‘Lost In Derby’ is that each song is a short and direct story, there’s no lyrically vague songs about love (which most musicians default too), just 3 tracks which you know Isaac has written about from personal experiences.

Yakobo is one of those musicians that has already progressed far above his current musical standing. The level of polish on his 3 E.Ps, his astounding live performances and wealth of strong/memorable material display an arena ready artist, yet he’s still willing to slog away in the more intimate venues. The wide ambient sounds of Yakobo’s 3rd E.P seem to embrace the listener, lulling them into this relaxed state of mind. A strong grasp of melody and lyricism introduce themselves through catchy but intriguing hooks. My favourite component of this E.P has to be the eclectic use of instrumentation, how well it’s been produced and the composition of certain string parts, especially on the intro track ‘Far From Ground’.

Jigsaw Man
No Home (E.P)

My first thought after listening to ‘No Home’ has to be how diverse it is. The E.P skips from Alter Bridge sounding metal, to an acoustic ballad, to the blues/country madness of Dungarees. When it comes to trying out a range of genres an artists/E.P/Album can often become a ‘Jack of all trades, master of non’, Jisaw Man manages to do justice to each track, producing an authentic yet original sound. I’m particularly fond of the song ‘1000 Apologies’, the dynamic shift in the second half of the track adds an extra level of emotion and helps flow smoothly into the final song.